New news to me... I thought there was too much bad blood for SP to every sponsor the NPPL.
One read, for those not in the know, is to view the two leagues as a pair of leagues with a pair of companies steering the course. That might be overstating the degree of control held by those two companies.
Pure Promotions, the infrastructure management entity behind the NPPL, is a creation of WDP, or a division, or the corporate little brother, or something.
Smart Parts owns two of the NXL franchise teams, and is a heavy supporter of a third (last I knew). The owners of SP were instrumental in the negotiation to bring the NXL to TV through Dick Clark. When I hear stuff like "not all the PSP members are as equal as others," I tend to view that as a reference to the predominance of Smart Parts.
I have also heard rumours that the antipathy was great enough that Smart Parts would not be welcome as a sponsor or vendor at a NPPL event, but that was clearly hyperbole. Seems like a big deal to me... I wonder when this happened?
Although I don't generally play in the PSP, I hope that series continues to do well. In my opinion, the format of Xball is superior in terms of fun, regardless of what the implications are for theoretical spectators. More important, without the motivation that competition and comparison provide, the drive behind the good qualities of the NPPL is reduced.
Also, with all the NPPL events selling out of slots, the PSP doing the same (for lower divisions), how can everyone fit under one tent again?
